Hey all, first post here, and apologies ahead of time for being a total noob 😄
Just picked up this bike for my wife, but I highly suspect this fork is installed backwards? If that's the general consensus, anyone mind trying to explain how to flip it around?
Cheers!
by Whisker-biscuitt
7 Comments
Yep, good catch. There should be two bolts at the back of the stem you can loosen to rotate the fork around and then re-tighten once aligned. Make sure any cables don’t get twisted around the wrong way (looks like you need to go counter-clockwise to keep the front brake cable from tangling).
turn the handlebar to left direction to 180 degree.
Yes, it’s backward.
To fix it, lossen the two stem bolts and the top cap screw. Position it correctly and first tighten the top cap bolt to achieve preload on the bearings and afterward the two stem bolts to secure it in place.
Yes.
Yea and then flip the wheel. That tire looks directional.Â
Bikes are boxed with the fork flipped to make the box smaller.
The brakes are on the front, or left for disks
Yep, easy visual check: the serial number on the fork should face the rider, tucked behind the head tube. Yours is facing forward, so the whole fork is installed backwards.
When you flip it, the front brake cable has to come off the right side of the fork and reattach on the left once it’s correct. Should be enough slack in the cable housing for the swap without rebleeding anything if it’s a mechanical setup. The directional tire comment above also stands, flip the wheel to match the tread arrow.
Mechanically it’s straightforward: loosen the two stem bolts and the top cap, rotate the fork 180 degrees, then snug the top cap first to set bearing preload before clamping the stem down. Fork blade should sit centered over the front tire when you’re done, not offset to one side.